Mieczysław Franciszek Rakowski ( Polish: ; 1 December 1926 – 8 November 2008) was a Polish communist politician, historian and journalist who was

Prime Minister of Poland A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only wa ...

from 1988 to 1989. He served as the seventh and final First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party from 1989 to 1990.

Career

Rakowski was born in a peasant family and operated a lathe as a teenager. He served as an officer in the Polish People's Army from 1945 to 1949. He began his political career in 1946 as a member of the Polish Workers' Party, and from 1948 to 1990 he was a member of the communist Polish United Workers' Party (''PZPR''), serving on its Central Committee from 1975 to 1990. He received a doctorate in history from

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

's Institute for Social Sciences in 1956. Rakowski served as the second-to-last communist

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of Poland from September 1988 to August 1989 ( Czesław Kiszczak then served less than a month as the last Communist to hold the post, before the accession of Tadeusz Mazowiecki). He was the last First Secretary of the PZPR from July 1989 to January 1990. However, he was not, unlike his predecessors, the ''de facto'' leader of the country; the PZPR had given up its monopoly on power in early 1989. Rakowski was also known as one of the founders and, from 1958 to 1982, first deputy and then chief editor of the weekly newspaper '' Polityka'', one of the most influential publications at the time (''Polityka'' continues to exist and is regarded by many as the most prestigious weekly in Poland). Today some people still remember him as a journalist and editor rather than a politician. Rakowski was involved in the Communist government during suppression of the

Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

movement. He also played a part in the Polish transformation from state socialism to market capitalism, as his Communist-led government was forced to reform and he was one of the key players in the Polish Round Table Agreements. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, he had been divorced from the violinist Wanda Wiłkomirska, with whom he had two sons. He died on 8 November 2008 from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

at the age of 81. He was buried at the Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw.

Awards and decorations

Grand Cross of

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

(1997) *

Order of the Banner of Labour, 1st Class * POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski ZG BAR

Commander's Cross with Star of

Order of the Banner of Labour, 2nd Class * Golden Cross of Merit * POL Medal 40-lecia Polski Ludowej BAR

Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland * POL Medal 10-lecia Polski Ludowej BAR

Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland * Medal of Ludwik Waryński „Życie Partii”, nr 5 (543), 8 marca 1989, s. 20.

References

External links

Gallery of photos

Obituary of Rakowski
in

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rakowski, Mieczyslaw 1926 births 2008 deaths People from Kcynia People from Poznań Voivodeship (1921–1939) Polish Workers' Party politicians Members of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party Prime ministers of the Polish People's Republic Members of the Polish Sejm 1972–1976 Members of the Polish Sejm 1976–1980 Members of the Polish Sejm 1980–1985 Members of the Polish Sejm 1985–1989 20th-century Polish historians Polish male non-fiction writers 20th-century Polish journalists Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery Recipients of the Medal of the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland Recipients of the Medal of the 40th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland